The distribution of free hybrid cocoa pods under the Federal Government-sponsored Cocoa Transformation Agenda of the past administration will end this year after four years.
According to findings by our correspondent, the last batch of 250,000 pods is currently being distributed to farmers through the Ondo State Government-owned Cocoa Seed Gardens and Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria.
The 2015-2016 distribution of the pods is expected to facilitate the country’s targeted yield from 250,000 metric tonnes in 2013 to 500,000 by the end of the year.
The Cocoa Transformation Agenda is meant to boost cocoa production in the country by providing improved seedlings for cultivation and to also help maintain earnings through cocoa as a non-oil export.
According to him, more than 1.4 million pods of hybrids varieties of the produce had been distributed to farmers across the cocoa growing states as of 2014, translating into more than 50,000 seedlings of hybrid cocoa and enough to cultivate additional 45,000 hectares of new plantations.
Findings by our correspondent revealed that the main features of the hybrid pods were early maturity, high and prolific yields, as well as disease and drought resistance.
Some of the farmers and stakeholders in the value chain who spoke with our correspondent said that the hybrid pods had increased yield and urged the Federal Government to continue the programme.
The Chief Operating Officer of the Centre for Cocoa Development Initiatives, Mr. Robo Adhuze, said the performance and impact of the pods in the farms planted with the hybrid seedlings had been impressive.
Adhuze said that over three million hybrid pods had been distributed by CRIN, and the Ondo, Osun and Ekiti state governments.
“In spite of the hiccup suffered by CRIN during parts of 2015, Ondo State filled the gap by providing pods to farmers, corporate organisations and other cocoa producing states,” he added.
He noted that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture had also confirmed that the cocoa distribution arrangement had been very successful.
Adhuze added, “Though no figures were shown, there are indications that the government intervention has shored up the production figures as recently shown.
“Nigeria has also moved from 250,000 to over 350,000 metric tonnes, and has retained her fourth position in the global cocoa production scale with the highest cocoa producing countries still Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia and Ghana, respectively. Cameroon, Brazil, Ecuador and other countries make up the rear.”
A Cross River State-based farmer, Mr. Olushina Oloyede, who spoke with our correspondent, said he had established over 100 new cocoa farms with the hybrid pods in the last three years.
“I started harvesting from the farms I planted with pods received under the CocTA arrangement within 14 months of establishment,” he said.
The President, Tonikoko Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative Union, Ondo State, Mrs. Ronke Akindoju, said the union members had regularly received the CocTA pods free of charge since inception and urged the new administration to support the farmers by ensuring continuation of the programme.
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